Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
What was hades role in the greeks culture
An overview of Greek mythology
An overview of Greek mythology
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
As people look through history, certain things amaze and interest them. One thing I was amazed by was Greek mythology and what certain Gods were the Gods of. Most people know of the Gods named Zeus and Hades. Zeus, God of the sky and lightning and Hades the God of the underworld. In this essay I will be writing about the history of Zeus and Hades.
Zeus
Zeus was the God of the sky and ruler of the Gods, but before he was ruler of the other Greek Gods he was just Zeus, the youngest son of Titans Cronus and Rhea, and brother to Hades and Poseidon. Zeus and his brothers drew lots in order to see who would succeed their father on the throne. Zeus won the draw and became the ruler of the gods and the sky. His other brothers Poseidon and Hades went on to live other lives. Hades went on to become the ruler of the underworld after drawing for his share for the universe. Poseidon went on to do the same thing except he went on to rule the sea.
Even before they drew lots Zeus wasn’t just some regular
Hades is always represented as a stern, bearded man, with a crown on his head and a scepter and a key in hand to show how carefully he guards those who enter his domains, and how vain are their hopes to escape. There were no temples dedicated to him and his statues are very rare.
Hades’s main object of power is his Helm of Darkness, which can make him invisible. Hades is also associated with Cerberus a three headed guard dog of the underworld. Cerberus is said to have a main, but the main isn't one of hair, but of snakes. He was said to eat live meat only and was the offspring of Echidna, a half-woman, half-snake, and Typhon, a fire-breathing giant.Cerberus is best known as the guardian to the gates of Hades.In Cerberus is depicted as a dog with three ferocious heads and the tail of a snake. He is one of the great Greek monsters born unto Typhon and
The character Hades from the Disney movie Hercules is an allusion to Hades from Greek Mythology. The movie takes the traditional character of Hades as the god of the underworld from Greek mythology and makes it palatable for children.
Zeus has been ruling and keeping control of Mount Olympus for centuries. Now, he is retiring and needs someone worthy enough to take his place as ruler. Someone who is trustworthy but also powerful and intelligent. All these traits depict Hades. Hades is as powerful as Zeus and already has leadership skills from his ruling experience with the Underworld.
Cerberus had his whole back covered in snakes and a dragon tail. Both of these are snake-like parts that contribute to Cerberus looking terrifying. His tail is from a dragon which is very similar to a snake and his back is filled with snake-like fur. The Hydra of Lerna is also an important creature, having 9 snake-like heads and the middle head being immortal.... ...
Jupiter was the ruler of the gods. He is also known as Zeus to the Greeks. The King of Gods in Greek Mythology Zeus was the ruler of the sky, and had the power to create thunderstorms and lightning as well as earthquakes. He was the child of Cronus and Rhea. As the story goes he was their sixth child, and the father to protect him from being overthrown had eaten the five previous children. Zeus was taken to a city called Crete and hidden from his father. As Zeus grew older and learned of what happened he found a potion to make his father regurgitate the other children. Once this happened they all teamed up and killed their father. Zeus then became the ruler of Mount Olympus, and head of the new line of Gods. Jupiter was the predominant power holder of Roman Gods. He was ruler of the sky, the daylight, all the weather, and even the thunder and lightening.(Ruck,Carl and Staples, Danny, pg 19)
Hades was the oldest out of his siblings Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Zeus, and Poseidon they were sons and daughters of Cronus was also known as Kronos he was the son of Uranus and the god of personifying the sky Rhea his wife was the Titaness daughter of the earth goddess Gaia.
In the beginning, it all started with the gods and goddesses Cronus (God of the Sky) and Rhea (Goddess of the Earth). They met and got married. While they were married they produced six offspring. These offspring would turn out to be some of the most famous in mythology. The offspring consisted of Hestia, Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and of course, the famous Zeus. Poseidon was the oldest son to be born from these two. Unfortunately when the offspring were born Cronus devoured most, even though Rhea tried many times to keep that from happening. Finally when Zeus was born she tricked Cronus into thinking it was his own son, when handed to him, and he eat him like all the others. But after doing so, Rhea told Cronus that she had given him a stone wrapped up in a blanket. Zeus later overthrew his father and released all of his other kin. After overthrowing Cronus, Zeus took over the ruler of the kingdom. With him taking the thrown on Mt. Olympus, he chose Hades to rule the underworld and Poseidon to look after the sea and land. Poseidon was a very powerful god and ruled with fury. He was made the god of waters in general and of the sea in particular (1). He is an equal in dignity to Zeus but not in power. This is important because it does not allow Poseidon to question his br...
Mythology was critical to Greek people’s everyday life, just like how religion is in our modern day in age. Everyday events, such as a thunderstorm, could be linked to a god or goddess. For example, when an earthquake would happen, it would be Poseidon crashing his tritan on the ground. People’s lives revolved around the whole ideology and it served as a way to explain the unexplained and to help them in times of need. All of the stories of these great gods and goddesses were passed down generation through generation each time getting more extreme and distorted. People idolized these beings and built stunning life like sculptures of them. Zeus was the most important of all the Greek gods and also king of Mount Olympus. He became a king after
Hunt, J.M. "Greek Mythology Zeus Lovers." SDSU College of Education: Home Page. Web. 19 June 2011.
Hades’ early childhood determined his reputation as a god, and his eventual title as Lord of the Underworld. Cronus and Rhea, two important titans, gave birth to Hades. Titans, in their evil and domineering way, ruled the universe. Negative qualities, like these, showed up when “Hades was devoured by Cronus as soon as he was born, along with four of his siblings. Zeus later caused the Titan to disgorge them” (Atsma). After killing Cronus, they easily overthrew the Titans. They needed to do this for the good of the other gods and mortals in the universe. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades worked together to defeat the Titans. They locked the Titans in Tartarus, the depths of the Underworld. This victory gave them power over the universe. They decided to take resid...
The primary ruling god of the underworld is Hades whose brother is Zeus, king of the gods, and whose parents are Cronus and Rhea. Hades is a greedy god with his greatest concern being to increase the number of his subjects. He is very stubborn about letting people out of the underworld. Hades himself, rarely leaves the underworld. In one myth, however, we know of a time when he did leave his soulful domain. Hades became very lonely in the underworld, and went above and kidnapped Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, for his wife.Persephone, nonetheless, was not Hades’ only significant other. Hades had a mistress called Minthe whom Persephone later transformed into a plant. Hades is also known as the god of wealth due to the precious metals mined from the earth. He has been said to possess a helmet that was given to him by the Cyclops. This helmet has been said to make him invisible. Hades lent it to gods and mortal men. Perseus used the helmet on his quest for Medusa’s head and Athena, goddess of battle skills, put to use the helmet so the god of war, Ares, could not notice her.
The Underworld, better known as Hades after the god who ruled it, was a dark and dreary place where the shades, or souls, of those who died lived. In the next few minutes, I will tell you about how one came to die, the topography of the Underworld, and the beings whom dwelled there.
Gods are ancient beings thought to have created the world and are children of the Titans. Most gods are thought to help mortals for good. Zeus who is the most famous of all the gods is adored by millions. Yet, Zeus, the ruler of gods, is one of the most selfish irresponsible gods of them all. Zeus was a bad god because he had many affairs, abused his powers, and did not use his powers for good.
One by one, the children were swallowed by Cronus: first Hestia, then Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. (Some mythographers claim that Rhea tricked Cronus by presenting a foal instead of the baby Poseidon for consumption, but most agree that Poseidon had been swallowed like the rest of his siblings.)
Atsma, Aaron J. "HADES : Greek King of the Underworld, God of the Dead ; Mythology ; Pictures : HAIDES, PLUTO." HADES : Greek King of the Underworld, God of the Dead ; Mythology ; Pictures : HAIDES, PLUTO. Aaron J. Atsma, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
http://www.pentheon.com/articles/z/zeus.html 2 page, accessed April 7, 2004. Created on March 3 1997, Modified March 19. 12, 2004. Encyclopedia Mythica 1995-2004